More Youth Soccer

Oak Harbor also has an under-10 girls soccer team. As of now, the team is unnamed, as they're waiting for new uniforms to arrive and are going to make a name based off the color scheme of the uniforms.

I watched practice for a bit on the afternoon of September 2nd. Coach Ric Dutton was showing the girls some ladder and hurdle work, putting emphasis on being quick and nimble.

This group of girls is coached by Troy Cowan, who has been coaching soccer for 13 years, 7 of them in Oak Harbor. He retired from the Navy and works as a contractor on base. This is Coach Cowan's first year with this group of girls.

Last year the girls had a good season, and coach expects the same again this years. With this age group, his priorities are to make sure the girls have fun and grow as a team, so they will continue to play soccer up to and through the high school level. Personally, Coach Cowan wants to increase his knowledge level of soccer in order to share it with his team, while having fun at the same time. Coach Cowan played 2 years of soccer in High School and played on various Navy teams throughout his career.

47 photos from the U-10 ladder and hurdle work can be found at http://www.shutterfly.com/pro/OakHarborSports/YouthSports/GSoccer92U10